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Harvey County, Kansas severe weather history spans 655 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 48.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #464 nationally and #52 in Kansas.
655
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
65
Direct injuries
$56.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Harvey County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Harvey County, Kansas severe weather history averages 9.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 183 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 95 events fall before 1990 and 560 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Harvey County, Kansas record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $54.0M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Harvey County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 317 | 0 | $45K | 3 | 1958–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 226 | 0 | $1.6M | 87 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 52 | 1 | $54.0M | F5 | 1955–2026 |
| Flood | 19 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2007–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2001–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2023 |
| Lightning | 9 | 0 | $273K | 0 | 1997–2005 |
Decade by decade
Harvey County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
50 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 43 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-03-13 | EF5 | 1 | 60 | 48.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-03-13 | EF5 | 1 | 0 | 22.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-06 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 16.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-03-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-05-13 | EF3 | 0 | 10 | 62.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1962-05-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 18.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 49.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 51.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-03-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-07-12 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Harvey County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 1990 | Tornado | 1 | 59 | $25.0M | |
| May 14, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Aug 22, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | NORTH NEWTON | 0 | 1 | $25K |
| Jun 20, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Aug 29, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Jul 13, 1963 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $30 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous, slow-moving thunderstorms produced 4 to 6 inches of rain across extreme northwest portions of Harvey County from the late afternoon hours on May 23rd, to the early morning hours on May 24th. Excessive runoff from this as well as heavy rainfall upstream across central Kansas caused the Little Arkansas River to flood. Several roads along the Little Arkansas were closed, and some homes and businesses received various magnitudes of flood damage. The Little Arkansas reached record flood stage at Halstead around midday on the 25th, forcing the community to close all three flood gates. Public and private damages suffered across the 7 townships affected were likely around $1 million.
Extensive damage occurred across town with numerous large trees down and power poles down. Some roof, fence and vehicle damage was also reported across town from winds estimated between 70 and 80 mph. A local plant had a large door torn from its rail and railroad crossing arms on Main street were damaged. Nearly 500 homes lost power from the storm.
Damaging winds estimated around 60 mph caused damage along a path from Halstead to Hesston. Some local businesses in Hesston sustained roof damage. One building had 25 percent of roof ripped away. A nearby business also received damage. Numerous tree limbs were also knocked down in both towns. Homes north and west of Halstead also received serious damage, including destroying a 25 year old barn, and a 100 year old grove of Catalpa trees at one homestead. The damage path was almost a 100 yards wide, snapping poles, overturning grain bins and damaging irrigation pivots along its path.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
33,756
Population (ACS)
$180K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 5, 2022 | Fire | COTTONWOOD FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 20, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING,LANDSLIDES,AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| May 28, 2019 | Severe Storm | TORNADOES AND FLOODING | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Newton 167
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Harvey County, Kansas?
655 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $56.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Harvey County?
Hail, with 317 recorded events — 48.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Harvey County?
50 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 43 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Harvey County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Harvey County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Harvey County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Harvey County as very low risk, placing it in the 39 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Harvey County, Kansas severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Harper County 709
- Haskell County 453
- Hamilton County 621
- Hodgeman County 708
- Greenwood County 552
- Jackson County 456
Cite this page
“Harvey County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/harvey-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.